Osprey Levity and Lumina Pack Review

Paddy Pallin has been lucky enough to get an exclusive sneak peek at Osprey’s new men’s Levity and women’s Lumina 60L superultralight pack series. We have been able to put some weight into the pack and take them out on overnight bushwalks to see if they stand up to the hype and more importantly, find out what style of hiker they are best suited to.

Osprey’s Levity and Lumina 60L superultralight pack series was designed for bushwalkers who celebrate ultralight base pack weights. Osprey’s goals were never about achieving a number on a scale, but instead, finding a solution that is not only light, but effectively carries the load it’s tasked with. Osprey has combined lightweight materials with durable outer fabrics to minimise pack weight without sacrificing durability.

Osprey has always focused on the harness – and the Levity and Lumina are no exception. They both feature Osprey’s fully ventilated AirSpeed™ suspended mesh back panel, which helps in keeping you cool and comfortable on the trail. The ExoForm™ hip belt & harness provides excellent padding and highly effective load-transfer into the body’s strongest muscles. When testing the packs in southern NSW’s Budawang National Park, we had temperatures that pushed into the 40’s. While the harness wasn’t a silver bullet that left your back bone dry, the ventilation of the AirSpeed back panel was still marked as a serious improvement according to the hikers in the party who were using a more traditional styled harness.

Osprey designed the Levity & Lumina with the essential features in mind. By doing this, they have managed to minimise the pack weight and maximise its performance. The main pack compartment with top draw cord access is covered by a fixed lid, which features a spacious zippered pocket. A front shove pocket provides space to store and easily access spare clothing, while two side pockets will comfortably accommodate water bottles. Loops on the top, front and base can be used for lashing excess items to if needed.

Osprey combined two supremely advanced fibres when designing the NanoFly™ fabric that the Levity and Lumina packs are constructed with. Ospreys NanoFly™ fabric integrates ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) ripstop and Cordura Nylon, creating an incredibly light fabric with remarkable abrasion resistance. The advanced NanoFly™ material is used on the exterior of the pack in order to provide impressive durability and abrasion resistance. Non-exposed surfaces are built from 30D Siliconised Nylon, which provides an excellent weight-strength ratio.

Osprey is one of, if not the first mainstream pack manufacturer found in Australia to move into the superultralight market. While this is refreshing to see and it has created a lot of buzz, you still need to make sure that the Levity or Lumina is right for you.

Having such a light weight harness (small, unpadded hip belt wings combined with hip belt webbing that is only 20 millimetres wide and shoulder straps that are only lightly padded) and a load range of 4-13kg means you will need to make sure your base weight very low. You will need to have the latest, greatest and lightest of equipment (shelter, sleep and cooking systems) to fully take advantage of the pack.

While the NanoFly™ 210D fabric uses the same materials that are used in sails and climbing slings because of their high tear and abrasion resistance (similar to Dyneema that is a time-tested lightweight pack fabric), the Levity/Lumina still isn’t a pack that you would want to take on walks that are mostly off track where you would find yourself pushing against rock faces and scrub bashing. There is still a fair amount of the lighter 30D Siliconised Nylon that is exposed that may be damaged if you’re truly getting off track. Nonetheless, if you’re hiking mostly on trails and you are willing to care for your equipment, the Levity/Lumina could be the pack for you.

On the Trail

Unless you’re a seasoned ultralight weight hiker, the first thing you will notice is how light the Levity/Lumina is when you pick it up (think lifting with the pinky light). Packing the pack is a sinch, the single main compartment swallows most of your equipment while the hydration sleeve and hose port is a nice addition in a superultralight pack. The front stuff pocket is handy to put a couple layers (rain shell, fleece or flip flops) in and the side pockets can be used for an extra water bottle or poles if required. Even though the pack fabric is highly water resistant, a pack cover, or better yet, a pack liner would still be a good idea if any rain is expected.

As mentioned, the load range for the Levity/Lumina is 4-13kg. As such, I deliberately pushed this past the max to see how it would handle the load. When carrying a load that is at the maximum recommendation, you do notice that the streamlined hip belt and shoulder straps struggle to support the weight compared to the AG harness of my Osprey Aura Pack. However, in the real world when using the pack with an ultralight base weight and food for a few days, I found the harness to be more than capable of supporting the load while the ventilated AirSpeed suspended mesh back panel helped to keep my back dry and more comfortable.

The walks we have been on had some light scrub and involved sliding against rock and the pack pumped through these trips with out an issue. As mentioned above, I would generally be sticking to the well beaten path when using the Levity/Lumina as the fabrics, although slightly heavier duty on the wear points, are still very light and are not really designed to be used on lengthy off-track expeditions.

Final Word

While the Levity and Lumina are aimed at thruhikers and other ultralight hikers, it could also be used by everyone from younger hikers with light weight, modern equipment to reminiscing boomers and anyone else who appreciates what carrying less can do for their experience.

As mentioned above, one of the keys to getting the most out the Levity/Lumina is having a superultralight base weight. If you’re looking at getting into the ultralight hiking game but still haven’t managed to bring your base weight down, the redesign of the classic Exos and newly released women’s Eja could be the perfect pack for you. With the Exos/Eja’s (below right) hip belt and shoulder straps having denser foam and more padding, it will give you a greater load range of 10-18kg.

However if your base weight is at the superultralight end, the Levity/Lumina could be the perfect pack for you. Using leading design techniques, the Levity/Lumina represents the pinnacle of performance in ultra-lightweight packs. Comfortable, supportive, ventilated and durable, these packs are built for the long-distance adventures where every gram counts.

About The Author

Zuzana has lived in Europe, New Zealand and Australia while travelling extensively though out these countries as well as Asia, North & South America. Zuzana enjoys hiking, skiing, mountain biking and rock climbing.

Welcome to the Blog

The name Paddy Pallin certainly means many things to many people. For some it brings to mind the genial personality of one of Australia’s pioneer bushwalkers. Others will recognise the name from the label of a sleeping bag or rucksack that has given a generation of faithful service in the great outdoors. Or perhaps it brings to mind the colourful history of Australia’s greatest cross-country ski race. For most people however, the name is associated with a group of specialist retail stores catering for travellers and outdoor enthusiasts.

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